Posts Tagged ‘David Coleman’

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The Arts and Common Core

December 17, 2012

Connections!

Not only are we in Maine looking at the connection points of the Arts and the Common Core for ELA and Math but that is the case in other parts of the country as well. The Gardner Museum in Boston has long championed Visual Thinking Skills and viewing and discussing art for the cultural experience.  Now they also view the “powerful opportunity to tap into some of the same skills asked of students under the Common Core State Standards”.

In a Maryland county they are working across content areas to implement the new standards and see the “great platform for the arts to really rise and share their importance in the educational fabric of a school.” and in New York City they are working with arts educators to engage in a conversation to insure that the artmaking is not sacrificed while they “focus on developing and documenting interdisciplinary units of study and formative-assessment practices.”

The new president of the College Board, David Coleman, responded to a series of blog posts that were posted this fall on arts education and the Common Core. He said: “the great news is that the standards call on so many things the arts do well. The tradition of careful observation, attention to evidence and artists’ choices, the love of taking an artist’s work seriously lies at the heart of these standards.”

As the new national standards for arts education are developed and the documents are released in the near future you will see the alignment information that has been done with the Common Core. This will be useful information to the field of arts education and the work you may be doing in your local districts.

I know that many Maine arts educators are working with their colleagues to integrate the Common Core ELA and Math standards into the VPA curricula. Please do share the work you are doing by commenting on this blog post.

Let us not forget what Elliot Eisner said:

“To neglect the contribution of Art in education is to deny children access to one of the most stunning aspects of their culture and one of the most potent means for developing their minds.”

I recommend that you read the entire article that I am referencing found in Education Week, December 16, 2013, written by Erik W. Robelen by clicking here.

Posted in Communication, Curriculum and Instruction, Integration, Leadership, Standards, VPA | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Common Core State Standards: ELA and Math

April 12, 2012

Catch up on what’s happening

National work

I get a ton of email and at least once a week this question: “when are the Common Core coming for the Arts?” If you’ve been following the blog posts you probably know that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) include ELA and Math. However, the work is underway on the rewriting of the national arts standards which will not be called common core but National Core Arts Standards. The Coalition for Core Arts Standards is the leadership team for the work and is made up of the national organizations for each discipline of the arts plus The College Board and my professional organization State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE).

There are five disciplines being developed as part of the document: dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts. The writing teams are comprised of teachers in PK-higher ed and also include members from SEADAE. You can follow the development of this work and learn what has taken place to date by going to http://nccas.wikispaces.com/.

I have been reading information about the connections of the arts to the CCSS and have provided some resources at the Maine Department of Education arts pages for you. My colleague from Kansas facilitated a webinar called The Arts, Common Core, and 21st Century Connections. Please take a few minutes to view it by clicking here.

With the heavy focus on reading and math with the CCSS I know there are some concerns that the arts will be marginalized. I understand David Coleman who was a leader write for the CCSS, ELA said: “The new requirements do not exclude the arts. There is no such thing as doing the nuts and bolts of reading in kindergarten through 5th grade without coherently developing knowledge in science and history and the arts. Period. It is false. It is a fiction.” Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog (3/21)

Condoleezza Rice and the Arts

Condoleezza Rice Makes the Case for Arts as Vital Part of Education at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/03/condoleeza-rice-makes-the-case-for-arts-as-vital-part-of-education.html

Teaching Math Through the Visual Arts

Caren Holtzman and Lynn Susholtz have written a book called Teaching Math Through the Visual Arts, K-5. You can preview the book online at http://www.stenhouse.com/shop/pc/viewprd.asp?idProduct=9334&r=eu11024&pos=sponstop1&adv=stenhouse

Posted in Curriculum and Instruction, Food for thought, VPA | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »